There is about a week left until the scheduled launch of the upgraded Starship super-heavy rocket. As a result, tension at the SpaceX launch site is rising at an explosive rate. An incident occurred recently at the company’s launch complex in Texas during testing of the water-based fire suppression system, casting doubt on the date of the planned 12th test flight, which was tentatively scheduled for May 12.
During a deluge test today, what seems to be an explosive event was observed in the deluge farm followed by the deluge shutting down.
?https://t.co/GXLJIx8VoE | @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/SnCTOvOwYt
— StarbaseTracking (@TrackingTheSB) May 3, 2026
During a live broadcast from the Starbase spaceport, hosted by NASA Spaceflight, a powerful explosion was recorded. The footage shows giant columns of water shooting into the air, while an unidentified massive fragment—presumably a part of the combustion chamber—is hurled beyond the test site. Immediately afterward, the system shut down in an emergency.
This accident was the result of the company’s attempts to fix previous malfunctions. As SpaceX engineers explained in the mini-series Test Like You Fly, during recent static fire tests of the B19 booster, the ground support equipment (GSE) for the water suppression system triggered its automatic shutdown twice. At this point, it is unclear exactly how Sunday’s explosion will affect the schedule for preparations for the orbital flight.
Why does Starship need a “water shield”?
The urgent need for a large-scale launch pad cooling system arose following Starship’s maiden flight in April 2023. The mega-rocket then launched without it, resulting in catastrophic destruction: the immense energy of the engines scattered huge chunks of concrete, dust, and debris for miles around.
To prevent a repeat of the incident, SpaceX has developed a massive steel plate that is mounted beneath the launch pad. During engine ignition, this system discharges up to 1.3 million liters of water under pressure. The water evaporates instantly, absorbing the destructive thermal and acoustic energy from the rocket nozzles.
The long-awaited debut of Starship Version 3
SpaceX is currently actively preparing for the launch of Starship V3—an even larger and more powerful version of its famous rocket. The countdown to this launch has already been marked by several delays: the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, initially announced the launch for March, then the date was pushed back to April, and now the target date is May 12, with a potential backup window the following day.
The path to orbit remains fraught with difficulties. Last month, during tests at the McGregor test site, a Raptor engine also exploded, sending up a thick plume of smoke and damaging the test stand. However, such incidents are not a disaster for SpaceX. They are an integral part of their corporate philosophy: “Fail fast, learn fast.”
Engineers deliberately push the equipment to its limits to identify all its weaknesses on the ground. So all that remains is to see whether the team will be able to fix the damage caused by the accidents and get the rocket ready for launch next week.
We previously explained why the Starship Flight 9 accident occurred.
According to Gizmodo
